A Vancouver family is warning others about a scam targeting seniors that has left their grandmother brokenhearted.
Farhan Hamid said his grandmother Bibi was targeted by distraction thieves on Monday evening, who made off with an irreplaceable piece of jewelry.
The 77-year-old was in her front yard gardening when she was approached by a woman she believed to be a neighbour, Farhan said.
“A lady just started telling her to come over to the gate right here, and she was talking about how she kind of resembles her mother and how she was really sad and she just wanted a hug for Mother’s Day,” he said.
He said his grandmother was hesitant but interacted with the woman anyway.
The woman then slipped a ring onto Bibi and tried to put a necklace on her, which she declined.
“Then she tried hugging my grandma again, and my grandma was like, ‘No, I don’t want any hugs,’ and she ended up hugging my grandma anyway — and that’s when she ended up switching off the necklace and putting on the fake one and taking off my grandma’s necklace, but my grandma didn’t realize,” he said.
The interaction was captured on security video.
The suspect can be seen quickly walking away and climbing into a vehicle that was already pulling away to make her escape.
The stolen heart-shaped gold necklace has a diamond outline, and Bibi has had it since 1977.
“She was really sad and crying, because it was the last gift my grandpa gave her,” Farhhan said.
“I know it meant a lot to her because she has literally never taken off that necklace since she got it,” added Yasmin Hamid, the victim’s granddaughter.
Vancouver police say they have been dealing with this kind of crime for years.
Const. Tania Visintin said incidents of distraction theft tend to increase when the weather warms up and more people are outside.
She said at least half a dozen such incidents have been reported in East Vancouver this week alone.
“These suspects are preying on the elderly; they are preying on people that are more open to conversation,” she said.
“They are giving sob stories, and they are touching on the heart strings of those that are vulnerable, and it’s so sad to see this. It’s really a disgusting type of crime.”
Farhan said the incident has devastated his grandmother, who has been asking every day if the police have located it.
He said he fears it has also shattered her trust in others.
“My grandma is a really nice lady. She talks to all the neighbours, she talks to everyone, and she’s a really kind person,” he said.
“This incident, it is going to change her. How can she trust another stranger?”